Add onion and season with salt and pepper to taste and sautee until caramelized. Add in the whole garlic clove, beef bone broth, and 2 tbsp of BBQ sauce. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and put the lid on the pan and let sit over low heat. The longer the better with this sauce. If you have the time to allow it to cook, then around three hours is best. About 30 minutes to an hour before serving, remove the lid and increase heat to reduce and thicken. This sauce can be made in advance and reheated. It can be reduced right away, but the depth of flavor from allowing to slow cook over a long time is worth the wait.

Before beginning, be certain that the liquid is squeezed from the zucchini.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together well. Form the meatballs using a 1/3 cup measure and set aside to rest. If resting in the refrigerator, allow the meatballs to come to room temperature before cooking.

Sear all sides of the meatballs in a hot cast iron skillet with a little olive oil to help with browning and to ensure that the meat does not stick. Add oil as needed. Browning should take 5-7 minutes. Cook the meatballs in two batches so that the pan is not overcrowded. After browned, finish meatballs in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until desired temp/doneness is reached.

CAULIFLOWER PUREE

1/2 head of cauliflower, trimmed of the stem *We used the yellow variety2 medium/large parsnips, peeled and cut to roughly same size as cauliflower1 garlic clove, chopped2 tbsp minced onionSalt and pepper to taste1/2 to 1 cup beef bone broth, any broth will workExtra-virgin olive oil for cooking

Cook down the cauliflower and parsnip in a large skillet over medium heat until soft with a little olive oil and salt and pepper with the lid on, stirring occasionally so it does not stick or burn. Once fork tender, add the onion and garlic and cook about five minutes. Transfer all to a food processor or high powered blender and process until smooth, adding in the broth slowly until smooth.

Keep warm in pan with lid or serve immediately.

GRILLED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Using fresh brussels sprouts, trim the bottoms and cut in half. Try to use similar sized sprouts.

Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium heat.

With the cut side up, drizzle with a good extra-virgin olive oil. This is a good chance to use an infused olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and place cut side down onto grill pan. Cook until dark “grill marks” appear on the sprouts, about 5-7 minutes. Once grill marks appear, turn the sprouts over, add 1/2 cup of water and put a lid on the pan reducing heat to low and allow to steam until done about another 5-7 minutes. When done, squeeze a little lemon juice over the sprouts before serving.

As an option, reduced balsamic vinegar can be drizzled over the sprouts to further highlight the flavors.

FINISHING

To plate the dish, lay meatballs over purée and drizzle with the BBQ glaze. Finish by adding the grilled sprouts and shaved black truffle for both aesthetics and taste. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun with appearance.